Blood And Smuts: Dragon Age “Violence” Trailer

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Possibly a bit spoilery this one, and very bloody. I’m not sure quite what to make of it: the bloody, lusty delivery is somewhat at odds with almost every other glimpse of Bioware’s forthcoming fantasy RPG that we’ve so far seen. I can only assume that the Dragon Age soundtrack will be nothing like the one featured here. Anyway, see what you think, and let the inevitable debate not dwell too long on the sex bits.

Actually, nothing has been more detrimental to PC gaming than the constant targeting of the lowest common denominator. Elitism is merely a symptom of this as more pessimistic PC gamers like myself react to an undeniable trend towards dumbing down. I think a lot of us haven’t forgiven BioWare for publicising a very pretty Neverwinter Night; at last very heavy substance and style would no longer be exclusive. When it came, the poly-count had been drastically reduced and it didn’t quite measure up as a worthy game next to Baldur’s Gate 2.

Given the choice, I’d rather be elitist and ignorant than just plain ignorant(like filthy consoletards!): the elitist has a mind towards improvement and correction that the slob ignorant do not.

Oh, my angst isn’t directed to the game, au contraire. It’s just that Bioware’s marketing department could have done a SO MUCH BETTER JOB at showing those things that wouldn’t look like this crapfest. xD

Well it may be poor marketing as Jim says, but it certainly seems to get people talking about the game, which is what advertising it sposed to do innit?

Bet a lot of people will send this to their buddies and tell them to check it out, rather than a slower, talky trailer where not much happens (ie, all the other trailers). The April Fools trailer excluded of course.

Jockie: Advertising is only really good if it makes you want the product. I remember the debacle that was the PSP advertising campaign of a few years back – I had found myself wanting one until those ads ran, and ended up putting off my purchase for a year… and even then, I got one second-hand.

@Dominic, this trailer is clearly designed to expand their audience outside the rpg fans who will probably buy it anyway (like me).

Did I like the trailer? no. Will it stop me buying the game, which I know is not really represented by this trailer? no. Will it attract the kind of player who might not think twice if it was a talky RPG trailer, and likes their gaming with a smorgsabord of blood and guts? too early to say, but I wouldn’t rule it out.

I kinda enjoyed it, sure it’s silly. I actually just finished watching underworld 3, and then saw this. It’s kinda the same vein, cinematic action gore. Silly meaningless, even bad, but still entertaining. And it was also very short :)

I also must concur, but for now I’ll sit back and ride on the wave of my worked-for fame.

… Over 300 views on the first day for my first YouTube. I am proud. All thanks to you, though, Psycho.

On a more serious note, I think I’ll relay my opinion about the trailer. It’s AWESOME. I love Bioware for its storylines, and proof of that has already been given for DA:O. Besides the fact that the marketing types decided to use untextured models in the footage and chose possibly the worst “song” on the face of the Earth, the trailer’s content itself seems like it’s going to be extremely, perhaps overly visceral. Now, I realize that this isn’t mature. Hell, it’s pretty much classic juvenile fantasy.

But, come on, guys – what’s wrong with that? I don’t think that I’ll ever get enough of classic, juvenile fantasy games, especially if they live up to KotOR, JE, and ME quality. Original fantasy universes are extremely difficult to make (i.e., no “classic” races like dwarves, elves, goblins, etc.), and I know that from having made one or two. Those companies that do create something original, high-quality, and new will go down in gaming history as groundbreakers, much like Psychonauts and Okami. But while we wait for those masterpieces, can’t we just settle down and enjoy some of the classic stuff, our guilty pleasure, our memories. Don’t be mad at the Bioware guys. They make good games. Trust them to do that.

Dear god, did anyone else see that chick’s neck flatten out when she blew out the candle? Those animations look horrible, hopefully it’s going to receive a lot more work before release. I would have expected more from the developers of the remarkably good Mass Effect (KOTOR I & Jade Empire were so-so at best). Of course, Mass Effects gameplay was a complete Z-fest, but the story was fantastic, and the characters were all nicely fleshed out. Is this something they’re going to start doing in every Bioware game; The obligatory PG-13 sex-scene? I’m really not all that excited by the game; no cooperative multiplayer. But seriously, this looks dissappointing to the max. Hopefully they’ve had someone with a brain-stem working on Mass Effect 2. ME was like, the first RPG from Bioware I’d ever actually cared to finish. ME2 had better be god-like.

Just so I’m clear: if there is no blood or sex, it’s sanitized and watered-down for a T-rating so they can sell more to the console crowd, i.e., Oblivion. If there is blood and sex, it’s pandering to them 14-year-old console kids what love their gore and boobs. Is that about right?

The music in the trailer was an awful choice, sure, but I just don’t get the backlash against the game because of a little ultraviolence. Sharp bits of metal tend to make people bleed quite a lot. And sometimes people have sex. Both might come off as tacky in the context of the game, but I’ll go ahead and trust Bioware until they give me a reason not to.